Aftermath
by Yuuki223
Summary: …I should have been faster. It's my fault. She's gone because of me. How could I do that to Carol? To Carl? To the whole group? What kind of a person am I? I put everyone through that shit… for nothing. I could have found her. I came so close. I know it. (Daryl/OC (I'm sorry if this doesn't accurately depict episodes of the series! I am trying to remember them as best I can!))
1. Chapter 1

**This does contain spoilers, so be warned! If you have not passed the season 2 mid season ("Pretty Much Dead Already" I think), don't read this. If you've not yet gotten to the season 3 mid season ("Made to Suffer") don't read the second part of the chapter.**

**Have fun!**

* * *

Chapter 1

I feel in my element whenever I step into the forest; like the world escapes me. I creep over towards where I see the deer I am hunting. The deer stops and looks up, away from where I am. I listen quietly. I hear the familiar groan of a walker. I sigh and aim my bow at the deer's head. I hold my breath. Someone taps my shoulder. I jump pretty hard and flinch away from the hand. Thankfully I don't shoot out of sheer panic, and I look behind me. It is Merle.

"Jesus Christ." I whisper, relaxing. The deer sees me do this and runs away.

"Sorry baby brother." Merle says calmly. I turn to look back at the deer, and sigh. The world goes black, and cold.

"Why couldn't you find me?" Merle asks me. I turn to look at him. His hand was on the floor beside him. He had dead eyes.

"Why can't you find me, Daryl? Mommy's counting on you." Sophia says to me. I turn around and stare at her. She is hugging her doll close. She has the sun on her left shoulder. Her eyes become somewhat like Shane's as she runs and stabs me in the thigh. Merle is now a walker, coming and biting my arm. I snap awake. Glenn had told us about the walkers in the barn, and it must be getting to me. I can't ignore what Sophia said, though. I head out of my tent and head towards the stables. I feel like I'm going to scream. I reach for a saddle and lug it over to the holder. I grunt in pain, and clutch my side. I wince and lean on the saddle.

"You don't have to do this." Carol says, and I jump slightly. I turn around and look at her.

"Yes I do." I mumble. Carol sighs and tries to come closer to me, but I shift causing her to stop.

"I don't want to lose you, too." Carol says, pain filling her voice. I feel anger rise up to my throat. I kick the saddle holder and wince in pain. I walk past Carol and I mumble to her, "Stupid bitch."

I walk back into the tent and breathe. I feel like the pain and fear will kill me. I sigh and try to breathe normally again, to collect and calm my nerves. I continuously breathe slowly. I hear someone scratch on my tent. I tense, and see Carol. I wince at her as I sit up. I get up and head out of my tent. A pang of guilt passes through me. I tap her and walk towards the lake. I hear her following me. I make no sound as we walk.

"Are you alright?" She asks me, but I make no reply. We get to the lake and I roughly sit. Carol sits beside me. I glance in front of me. I am panting, but I stare at the rose.

"I'm sorry." I start out. Carol smiles at me a little. She looks over at the Cherokee rose. She sighs.

"That's blooming for Sophia, you know?" I tell her, "I will find her. But there's something else I've been feeling. I feel like I'm being ignored by the group. Kind of like they don't even know I'm around. You notice that too?"

"I don't think so."Carol says simply, stroking the Cherokee rose's pedals.

Carol laughs and smiles at me. I wince at her. She glances over towards the barn. Rick and Hershel are over there, holding walkers with poles. I stand up and walk, with Carol following me, to the barn. I come to Shane as he's handing out guns. I take a shotgun and point it at the male walker. I hesitate to shoot it, though. Shane looks at Rick.

"What the hell are you doing Rick? We need to fight and survive!" Shane shouts. I shift uncomfortably. Shane raises his pistol and shoots the woman several times in the chest.

"If she was a human, she couldn't have survived that." Shane shouts. I gulp as I shift uncomfortably. Shane shoots her and the man, while Hershel falls with her. T-Dog and Andrea grab a gun as well, and we all watch Shane. He walks over to the barn, and opens it up. I point the gun towards the Walkers that are now wandering out of the barn. We begin to open fire on them, killing them before they come too close to us. The fire squad soon ended, and we are all left standing there staring at the barn. Carol comes up beside me. I glance at her. We hear one more in the barn. I raise my gun, but lower it when I see the figure of a child. I place the gun by my side. The child steps out of the barn. My heart stops. The world becomes cold. I lock my jaw, and grab Carol as she runs towards the girl. Carol begins to shriek something. My side hurts as I hold her back, so we both fall to the ground. I feel a lump form in my throat. I want to shriek and cry, but I can't. Everyone can't seem to get the nerve to end her, and instead watches as she inches forward. Rick finally steps forward, and points his gun at her head. He closes his eyes, and pulls the trigger.

"No!" Carol shrieks, reaching out towards the girl. She falls, collapsing in a graceful way. I can't let Carol go, no matter how hard I want to. I want to hold her tighter, but eventually she breaks free from my hold and just sits there, sobbing. I stand up and try to walk away, but I only manage to turn around. I close my eyes.

'This can't be real.' I think to myself. I turn around again as we begin gathering the bodies. Carol walks away from the scene, and I feel a pang of anger. I walk and gather the girl in my arms. She feels real. She _is_ real. I heave a great sigh. I carry her towards the trees, where I presume she'll be buried. I lay her aside the other bodies. The others start to dig graves for the fallen ones that we know; the girl, Hershel's wife, and Hershel's stepson. When the three graves are finished, I lay the girl in one of them. I take a fistful of dirt and drop it over her blue t-shirt with a rainbow on it. I feel a pang of pain, and step back. Carol is nowhere in sight. My blood begins to boil. I stand and listen to people talk about the girl, but I block out what they actually say. When this breaks up, I head to my tent. I pack it up and carry it far away from the camp. I'm fed up with them.

I set up and go back for my bike. I walk it over to my little camp. I head into my tent and lay down, practically choking on the pain.

"I'm so sorry Sophia." I whisper, letting out some emotion. I feel tears flowing down the corners of my eyes. I am choking on this pain. I should have never let her in. I should have stayed secluded from the group. I should have…

…I should have been faster. It's my fault. She's gone because of me. How could I do that to Carol? To Carl? To the whole group? What kind of a person am I? I put everyone through that shit… for nothing. I could have found her. I came so close. I know it.

Then…how was she in the barn, without Hershel knowing? I sit up and grab my crossbow. I need to go hunting. I need to clear my head.

* * *

I hold my breath and count to three. I look at the test, and it came out with a little pink plus. My heart burst with happiness and pride. I do the rest of my business in the restroom and exit, busting with pride.

"What's going on, love?" My husband asks me.

"Look." I say simply, handing him the test. He looks at it, and looks at me. I smile at him, feeling like a happy duckling. He hugs me and kisses me.

"Isn't it great?" I ask him, excitedly.

"What do you want it to be?" He asks me.

"I don't care. I was thinking of naming the baby Sophia if it was a girl." I tell him.

"What if it's a boy?" He asks me.

"What was the name of that kid you knew, whose house burnt down?" I ask him.

"Oh yea…his name was Daryl something… I can't remember now, it's been too long." He tells me, deep in thought.

"Well it don't matter what his last name was. All that matters is that's what I want our baby's name to be if it's a boy." I tell him. He smiles at me, and laughs. I laugh with him. I feel someone tap my shoulder. I turn around and see my big brother. I smile at him and hug him.

"What's this for?" He asks me coldly. I look up at him with a huge smile.

"I'm just really happy." I tell him.

"Get off of me." He says coldly, pushing me off of him. I glare slightly at him, and fold my arms across my chest. Brother glares at me, and I look away from him, unfolding my arms and shifting. I can't stare into the eyes of Brother most days. He's _intense_. Other people are watching me. One of them comes up to me.

"What's going on?" She asks me.

"I'm expecting!" I tell her in excitement, getting over the awkwardness of Brother's reaction to my hug. She smiles at me.

"Congratulations!" She says to me. I smile at her, and she hugs me. I watch Merle stare at me in surprise. We break the hug.

"Don't give me that look." I call over to him.

"No, no. I'm happy for you." He says, wandering over to me.

"How's your hand been?" I ask him. He can be a complete and total jackass, but he's a really nice guy if you sit down and talk with him, as he says, "mono y mono."

"My hand? Hah!" Merle says, smiling at me, "It hasn't been bothering me. Thanks for asking."

"No problem. I was planning on naming the baby Daryl if it is a boy." I tell him, smiling sweetly at him.

"Why's that?" Merle asked, me picking up traces of clear pain. I know he misses his little brother. I wish _my_ brother was like that.

"From what you and Jason have told me, Daryl sounds like one tough cookie." I tell him, "So maybe if they share a name, he'll be strong."

"You know what?" Merle says to me, shifting.

"What?" I ask him, expecting a snide remark.

"That's the cutest thing I've ever heard." Merle says to me, smiling. I smile back at him. He opens his arms to give me a hug. I cautiously give him one, and he laughs.

"I'm not going to bite you." He tells me, "I'm genuinely concerned about you. I see how your brother treats you."

"You're trying to make up for what you put Daryl through in your heart, aren't you?" I whisper to him, sighing. I hug him tightly.

"Yea I guess." Merle says to me, his voice becoming a whisper. I smile and break the hug, placing my hands on his shoulders.

"I'm fairly certain that Daryl would forgive you if you were honest and upfront with him." I tell him calmly. Merle shrugs, and gets my hands off of him. He walks over towards my brother and talks with him.

"Let's go prepare for the baby." My husband says, smiling at me. I smile in return, and follow him to our house.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I had refused to help Lori earlier, when she asked me to find Rick, Glenn and Hershel. I feel like shit for doing that, but I can't change the past. I walk back into camp, and glance around. People are frantically searching for someone. Carol spots me and jogs over to me. She is dirty and has some cuts on her, but I don't ask.

"Have you seen Lori?" She asked me.

"Yes." I tell her, "She came by asking me to find Rick, Glenn and Hershel. I told her that I'm done looking for people. She probably went to look for them herself."

"Thanks." Carol tells me simply. She jogs over to Shane. I feel a pang of anger, and I leave them all to themselves. I go back to my little place outside of camp, and relax. I sit on a log and begin making arrows for my bow. I think I'm still bitter towards Carol, but even still. I make a handful of arrows, and then duck into my tent. I rummage around, trying to find some more sticks. I hear someone walking up. I tense. I listen for a while, but the footsteps stop at the cloths line I made for myself. I duck out of the tent and see Carol.

"What are you doing here?" I ask her bitterly.

"I wanted to know why you're pushing all of us out." Carol says, shifting. She folds her arms over her chest and stares at me.

"I don't need to tell you shit." I say to her. I feel my nerves stirring. Carol shifts again.

"I'd like to know." Carol says finally, looking at me.

"I'd like to know why you didn't attend your own daughter's funeral, but we all can't have nice things, can we?" I snap back. Carol flinches.

"Don't-" Carol starts, but I turn around. I can't talk with her. I feel like I'm going to choke. I grab my bow and walk off, closing my eyes and sighing.

"I won't let you push me away!" Carol shouts after me. I hear a crack in her voice. What am I doing? Will I-

"Shut up and hunt." I mumble to myself, readying my bow and creeping into the forest. I creep through and listen as I do. I hear a squirrel nearby. I creep over to the forest and glance around. I look right at the squirrel, which has stopped dead in its tracks. It listens deeply. I point my bow at it, just to test its reaction. The squirrel doesn't even twitch. I glance over at where the squirrel is looking. A walker is limping up. I curse quietly. The squirrel is still not paying attention to me. The walker is paying attention to me. I curse again and point the bow at the walker. I pull the trigger and nail it in the head. I walk over and pull the arrow out of the walker's head and wipe it off on my pants. I glance over towards the squirrel, and it has scurried away. I curse and walk away, frustrated. I head back to my little camp, and head over and check on the squirrels. Carol is back.

"What?" I ask her, taking one down. She winces at me.

"Have you heard?" She asks me. I glance over at her.

"Heard what?" I ask her.

"About Lori…" Carol replies, cocking her head. I sigh.

"About her being…err…expecting?" I ask, uncomfortable. Carol nods, and sighs.

"What do you think?" Carol asks me.

"I don't really have an opinion on the matter. She wants this to happen, she can let this happen." I reply, glancing up at Carol. Carol is smiling. Damn it. I feel a lump form in my throat. I gulp, and glance back at the squirrel.

"Why do you say that?" Carol asks, coming a little closer.

"I gave you an answer, didn't I?" I snap. I hear her sigh.

"I really do care about your opinion." She says. I sigh.

"Stop it." I say weakly.

"What?" Carol asks, confused.

"Stop!" I shout turning to her, "Stop caring! I don't need you to!"

I realize what I said, and I turn away from her. Carol is staring at me. I feel it. She tries to touch my shoulder, but I shift. She lowers her arm, and sighs. She continues to watch me. I sigh and cut open the squirrel, starting the process of gutting it. I glance at Carol to watch her gag. She takes a couple of steps away, turning away from what I'm doing. I glance back at what I'm doing, and I pull out the giblets I'm going to use later.

"I don't understand how you can stomach that." She tells me, gulping. I don't make a comment, though I want to. I continue to gut the squirrel, and I begin to skin it, spotting tons of fat around the squirrel's sides.

"Well, I see you're…busy now. I'll swing by later." Carol says, walking away. I mumble a goodbye to her and finish gutting this squirrel. I glance over and see a fire and pan set up for me.

"I don't need her to baby me." I mumble, walking over to the pan. I put the squirrel in it, and toss in some of the fat I had to pull off of the meat. I'm surprised about it, but I don't do much to change it. I eat the squirrel in peace.

I'm lying in my tent in the night when someone comes up to the tent. There is a scratch on the tent, but it sounds like its voluntary. I unzip it, and see Carol lit by a flashlight. I sigh.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright." She says to me. I don't look her in the eyes.

"I don't care if you're giving me the silent treatment. You needed to get that out, and I appreciate it, even if it wasn't the most considerate thing to say. You need to feel comfortable with me." Carol says.

"I don't gotta feel comfortable with no one." I reply coldly. Carol sighs, and closes her eyes. She looks at me.

"If this has anything to do with Sophia, I didn't attend her funeral because I didn't think it was real." Carol admits to me, sitting down. I glance away from her, a lump forming in my throat.

"I know you went." She tells me. I make no comment. Carol tries to stroke my hair, but I swat her hand away. I give hear a hard stare. She sighs, and cocks her head. Her eyes grow soft. I shiver a little.

"Thank you." She says. I shift, and scoot back into my tent. I zip it back up and lay back down, listening to Carol walk away. I close my eyes.

I creep through the forest, alone and scared. I listen for anything. I see a buck. I raise my arms, but I'm holding no crossbow. I lower my arms and stare at the deer. I cock my head, and sigh. I inch closer to it, as it braces for something. I shiver, and hear something behind me. I tense up, and glance behind me with my right shoulder. There's nothing there. I feel someone grab my arm, and bite my left shoulder.

"Daryl!" I screech. Nobody hears me, of course. The buck hesitates, but runs away. I don't blame it. I kick the walker off of me, and I take off running. I run towards the creek. I drop to my knees, and try to wash off the wound. I remember what happened to Amy and Jim, and I begin to freak out.

"I don't wanna die… Daryl!" I whisper, and scream. I hear the walker coming, and I take off. I glance back when I remember my doll, but it's too late now. I have to run. I get farther up the creek. My bones feel like glass, and my fever is so bad that I begin to tremble. I am in pain.

"I'm not going to die…" I mumble, creeping farther along. I heave myself forward, until I can't move. I collapse and rasp. I hear the walker getting closer.

"Go away…" I moan. I try to roll over, but I can't. I feel like I'm fading away. I don't want to die. Don't let me die. I want to live. I want to live…I want to… I want… I…

I close my eyes and start to relax.

"I want to live…" I whisper, "I…I'm sorry Daryl…Mom…Rick…Carl…everyone…I'm sorry…"

I open my eyes in a cold sweat. I feel tears streaming down my face. I am shaking. I gulp. I glance down at my arms. They're mine. Why was I…?

"Daryl?" I hear. I glance over at the tent. I see the outline of Carol.

"What?" I ask. My voice cracks as I ask.

"Are you alright?" Carol asks, her voice filled with worry. She unzips my tent, and pokes her head in. She sees how I am, and covers her mouth with her hand. I look away from her.

"Tell me what happened." She begs me. I shift.

"Daryl!" I hear Rick call. I sigh and rub my head, wiping my face. I crawl out of my tent to find Rick and Shane staring at me. Carol glances at Shane, and walks away without saying a word. I shift and stare at Rick.

"We need to get some information out of Randall." Rick tells me.

"Who's this?" I ask, confused.

"Randall is someone Rick and I tried to kill yesterday. He knew too much." Shane says.

"Isn't his group coming for him?" I ask.

"That's what we need you to worm out of him." Rick says. I nod, and scratch my head. I grab my knife and put it in its sheath. I walk with Shane to the slaughter shed, and enter with Shane's permission. Shane grabs my arm.

"Don't fuck up Daryl. I'll come for you if you do." Shane threatens.

"Go ahead and try. I dare you." I spit at him. Shane glares, but lets me enter the shed. Randall looks up at me with fear consuming his eyes.

"Tell me about your group." I say, sitting in the stool in front of him.

"We're not as fortified as you all are." He says with a nervous laugh. I glare.

"How many people are armed?" I ask. Randall gulps. I sigh.

"Uh…I wasn't with them for a while." He says. I stand up and punch him in the cheek.

"Tell me how many people are armed in your group." I say, clenching my other fist.

"Uh… I don't know." Randall says, giving a smile. I punch him again.

"How many?" I ask.

"I think ten!" He shouts. I punch him three times.

"I've told you!" He shouts at me.

"You haven't told me shit!" I shout in reply, punching him again.

"I don't really know the people in my group!" Randall shouts in fear.

"How many are in your group?" I ask him. He hesitates, and gulps. I draw my knife as soon as he does this.

"I think there are 30!" Randall shouts, "We never stay in one place for more than a day. I don't know where they're going to go next!"

I rip off the bandage. I need more information. I drive my knife into his wound. He screeches.

"We've got automatics!" Randall shouts in pain, "But I'm not dangerous I swear!"

I pull my knife out, and stare at him.

"One time, while we were scavenging, we found this dad and his two daughters. Everyone else raped the girls in front of their father for the fun of it. I'm not like that, though!" Randall quickly adds as I leave. I lock the shed back up and walk to Shane and Rick.

"If his gang rolls through here our boys are dead, and our women they're gunna, well they're gonna wish they were." I reply. Rick and Shane nod, and glance at one another. Anger pangs through me, and I walk away from them. Carol comes up to me.

"What did you do?" She asks me, annoyed.

"We had a little chat." I reply. I leave Carol staring after me and walk off. I walk to my little setup in camp. I sat down, staring at my bare knuckles and shaking the pain off. I must have been punching that kid hard.

"Did it hurt to punch the guy?" Carl asks me. I glance up in surprise.

"I've been hurt worse." I reply, "You too buddy."

Carl chuckles. "Can I try to shoot that?" He asks, pointing at my bow.

"Your arm ain't long enough." I reply, rubbing my knuckles.

"Yea it is." Carl says, showing me how long his arm is. I chuckle.

"Stick to guns. It takes less skill." I say, looking at him. Carl glances behind me, and I glance at my knuckles. I hear someone walking up, and I look over. Carol looks like she has a bone to pick with me.

"Where's your old man? Why don't you go pester him?" I ask Carl, using the bow to help myself up. He nods, and walks off. I turn to face Carol and she hands me a handkerchief.

"Did you get what you wanted?" She asks me bitterly, "Approval? Thanks? You couldn't hit me so you beat up a kid instead. Is that who you are now?"

"He ain't no kid." I reply, "I'd do a lot worse than hitting you if you gave me the chance."

"That's not what this is about and you know it." Carol replies. I stare at her. A combination of shock, pain, and anger swells from deep within me.

"What do you want me to do? Huh? I don't need this." I say.

"Don't pretend like you don't care." Carol says, anger swelling in her voice too, "You don't want your friendship back, take it. Every kind and smart thing you said, take it all back I don't care. I've lost worse. But don't sit back here and tend to your bloody fists, and pretend you don't care."

I see clear pain in her eyes. I've really hurt her. She stares at me for a few more seconds, before she walks away in anger. I stare after her, nervous and in pain. I sigh, and rub my bloody knuckles. I need to talk with her later. I wander around for a little and sigh. I stare down at the ground and close my eyes. I need to tell her about my dream. That…is something I can no longer ignore. I probably slept through a day. I wander over to the bolts I made and begin inspecting them, making sure they're sharp enough and strait enough. I do this mostly to kill time in wait for Carol to be in a better mood before talking with her. I glance over and see Dale coming up.

"The whole point of coming out here is to get away from you people." I say, sighing. "Did Carol send you?"

"I'm genuinely concerned about you. You know, she's not the only one concerned about you or your role." Dale says, a little hurt. I look at him.

"This group is broken. I'm better off fending for myself." I say.

"Where do you stand on Randall being killed?" Dale asks me.

"I don't care if he lives or dies." I reply, placing the bolt with the rest of them.

"Then stand with me!" Dale says, reaching for me. I flinch away from him.

"It doesn't matter what I say. My opinion won't matter 'cause Rick only listens to Shane." I reply, "I don't trust Shane either. He killed Otis, and I know it. I don't believe his story because he came back with a dead man's gun."

"And you don't care?" Dale asks me. I sigh and make no reply. Dale shakes his head and begins to walk away.

"This group's broken." I say again as Dale walks away. I wait a few minutes before walking off myself, grabbing my bow. I search the camp quietly, and find Carol. I tap her shoulder and nudge my head towards the forest. She sighs and gets up, following me as I walk. We get out of earshot of the camp.

"I'm going to start out by saying I'm sorry." I tell her. Carol blinks in surprise. She opens her mouth, but I hold up my finger to shush her.

"I'll only have the nerve to do this once." I tell her, "I had a dream last night where I was a lost little kid. I found a deer standing in the forest, and I tried to approach it. The deer was watching something behind me, and when I looked back nothing was there. I then got grabbed and bitten on my left shoulder. I cried out in Sophia's voice. It all felt so real, that when I woke up I was a mess."

"Daryl…"Carol says, covering her mouth.

"Sophia has been the reason I'm avoiding you and pushing you away. I _let_ her in. I _let_ myself care about her. I _allowed _her to go missing, and I couldn't find her. I couldn't save her. I wasn't there to help her, or to take her life when she needed it. I feel guilt when I look at you. When you smile, and laugh, I think of her. How I couldn't save her. It brings me pain, and I feel…I feel guilt." I say quickly, rubbing my arm.

"It's alright, Daryl. I forgive you. She's waiting up in heaven for us. She always said that she wanted to be your friend, and that you look like you need a hug. She always told me she'd be the one to give you one." Carol says to me, placing her hand on my shoulder. I look up at her.

"Heh. I'd probably just push her away too." I tell her, chuckling.

"Admitting things is hard. I'll admit that. But don't you feel better? Like a weight was lifted off of your chest?" Carol asks me.

"Yea, I guess you're right." I tell her. She hugs me. I wince. I pat her back.

"You're really awkward at this." She tells me, laughing a little. I chuckle at her.

"My family wasn't the huggin' type." I reply. She breaks the awkward hug and pats my shoulder. She walks back into camp. Carol's right; I _do_ care.

* * *

I walk around Woodberry and smile to myself. I feel like he happiest girl alive. I spot Merle looking at a picture in his wallet.

"Who's that?" I call over, though I already know who it is.

"It's Daryl." He replies, showing me the picture. He's never shown me, so I take this with great seriousness. Daryl looks to be around five in this picture. He's smiling and holding a toy. It's just a stuffed dog, but he looks so happy.

"That toy carried him through his toddler years. He tended to it so carefully. He always treated it like it was a child or something." Merle says calmly. I smile and look at him.

"It was one of the rare times that I saw him happy." He admits, sighing.

"I know how much you care about him." I tell him.

"He stayed with that group from Atlanta though." Merle replies.

"I doubt they'd actually leave you on the roof." I say, "I think they went back for you. And I think that Daryl was amongst the people that went back."

"Probably." Merle says, sighing, "I just miss him and I'm worried about him, you know?"

"I actually wouldn't know. Brother's never been like that for me. At least Daryl knows you worry about him." I tell him.

"Heh…Knew." He corrects, his voice catching. He looks like he's going to cry. I slap Merle across the cheek.

"Knows. We have no proof that he's dead, or alive. He's like Schrödinger's cat; both dead and alive. I am going to say he's alive until I'm proven wrong." I tell him, "You should think like that."

"And you really mean it when you're going to name your baby boy after Daryl?" Merle asks me, giving me a thankful smile.

"Always." I say to him, smiling back. I head down the road to the daycare. I meet parents as they bring their children to the daycare. I greet the ones too young to attend school and let them into the daycare. I allow them to begin playing with the toys that lay scattered about from when they last played with them. The children went crazy over the toys. They played with them feverishly. I smile and place my hand over my belly, soon to be swollen with life. I feel someone hold me from behind. I glance back at my husband.

"Hey." He says.

"Hi." I reply, smiling at him sweetly.

"Having fun are we?" He asks me, chuckling at the children.

"We're going to." I reply, smiling. He sighs and pecks my cheek.

"I'll see you soon. Merle needs another checkup." He says. I detect annoyance in his voice.

"You know he's just making sure he's alright, you know that? He cut off his hand for his brother." I scold.

"Yea I know…It's just annoying." He replies. I shake my head at him.

"Would you check up every day if I went missing and you chopped your arm off for me?" I ask him.

"Good point." He says, laughing. He pecks me on the lips and he heads over to the medical ward. I turn around when a kid pulls my dress.

"Tommy stole my toy."He says.

"Did you take it from him?" I ask him as my frustrating day begins.


End file.
